The Life Aquatic

On board Oceania Cruises' Riviera, a luxurious two-week voyage along the Southeast Asian coastline delivers on its promise as a food lover's paradise at sea, offering an array of specialty restaurants, thoughtfully re-inspired menus, and a state-of-the-art cooking school.

- RENYI LIM

Is it possible to spend a fortnight on board a luxury cruise ship and emerge equally well-fed and well-travelled? This is the question I set out to explore as I embark on Oceania Cruises’ Asian Gulfs & Deltas voyage – a 14-night journey that sails from the port of Sriracha near Bangkok, tracing the coastlines of Southeast Asia and pausing at selected ports in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. The good news is that Oceania Cruises is a cruise line for travellers who relish being gourmands on both land and sea – so much so that its trademarked phrase is ‘The Finest Cuisine at Sea’. “Exceptional cuisine has been a hallmark of Oceania Cruises since the first cruise set sail in 2003, earning the reputation as the cruise line of choice for epicureans,” Chef Alexis Quaretti, Senior Culinary Director of Oceania Cruises, later tells me.

"Food is the foundation of what we do onboard each of our ships, and globally, in the destinations that we visit."

On embarkation day, I settle into my Veranda Stateroom – one of 633 suites and staterooms still gleaming from a re-inspiration in 2022, running from affordable Inside Staterooms to the extravagant Owner’s Suites. Elegant grey- and silver-accented interiors, white wood paneling, a roomy Italian marble bathroom, and generous storage spaces transform the 291-square-foot stateroom into a welcoming residence at sea. A private balcony also proves a marvellous addition when we sail through Ha Long Bay, with its limestone karsts rising out of the misty seas a few hundred metres from Riviera.